About this course: The capstone project will consist of three options, and you will complete one of them as part of the course. The first option is working with senior-level executives to help them solve their most pressing leadership challenges. Two (2) senior-level executives from leading organizations will provide detailed descriptions of ongoing leadership challenges that they are currently facing within their organizations. The challenges will be real and current. You will be asked to help the executives think through how best to approach and address their respective leadership challenges. Specifically, you will be tasked with drafting a memo to one of the executives outlining your recommendations for how best to address the leadership challenge. To offer effective advice and counsel, you will need to use course concepts and frameworks to (a) diagnose the fundamental issue(s), and then (b) develop a coherent set of solutions or recommendations. The memos will be evaluated based on how effectively you apply course concepts to diagnose the problem and how well you link your proposed solutions to the diagnosis. The best submissions will be sent to the executives for their review, and each executive will offer feedback that will then be shared with the entire class to advance everyone’s learning. The second option is to identify your own leadership challenge (e.g., at work, at school, in your local community). You should be directly involved in the challenge, and the challenge must align with at least one topic from the specialization. You will develop a presentation where you use course concepts and frameworks to (a) diagnose the core leadership challenge and barriers to effective performance, and then (b) develop a coherent set of solutions or recommendations for your own leadership challenge. The third option asks you to interview an executive of your choosing. In this interview, you will ask questions about the challenges faced by that executive with respect to leading people and teams, as well as the practices used by the executive to address his or her challenges. In your written submission, you will use course concepts to organize the major leadership challenges faced by the executive, highlight the strategies and practices used by the executive to address the core leadership challenges, and then to evaluate the effectiveness of the executive’s practices related to leading people and teams.
Taught by: Scott DeRue, Ph.D., Edward J. Frey Dean at the Ross School of Business
Management and Organizations, Ross School of Business
Taught by: Maxim Sytch, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Management and Organizations Michael R. and Mary Kay Hallman Fellow
Management and Organizations, Ross School of Business
| Basic Info |
Course 5 of 5 in the
Leading People and Teams Specialization.
|
| Commitment | 4 weeks of study, 2-4 hours/week |
| Language | English |
| How To Pass | Pass all graded assignments to complete the course. |
| User Ratings |
- Video: Introduction to Capstone Projects
- Reading: Brief Overview of Each Capstone Project
- Reading: Capstone Incentives
- Reading: Help us learn more about you!
- Video: Capstone Project: Option 1
- Reading: Amazon Case: Fostering a Culture of Experimentation and Radical Innovation
- Reading: General Expectations and Deliverable
- Reading: Peter Faricy, VP Amazon Marketplace
- Video: Capstone Project: Option 2
- Reading: The Leadership Challenge: Diagnosing and Addressing Your Personal Leadership Challenge
- Reading: General Expectations and Deliverable
- Video: Capstone Project: Option 3
- Reading: The Leadership Interview: Learning from the Experience of Others
- Reading: Developing the Interview Protocol
- Reading: Diagnosing the Leadership Challenge
- Reading: Identifying and Diagnosing Your Leadership Challenge
- Reading: Conducting the Interview
- Reading: Developing and Communicating Your Recommendations
- Reading: Developing and Communicating Your Recommendations
- Reading: Analyzing Your Interview Findings
- Reading: Submission Templates
- Video: Wrap up and Congratulations
- Reading: Post-course Survey
Each course is like an interactive textbook, featuring pre-recorded videos, quizzes and projects.
Connect with thousands of other learners and debate ideas, discuss course material, and get help mastering concepts.
Earn official recognition for your work, and share your success with friends, colleagues, and employers.
| Audit | Purchase Course | |
|---|---|---|
| Access to course materials | Available | Available |
| Access to graded materials | Not available | Available |
| Receive a final grade | Not available | Available |
| Earn a shareable Course Certificate | Not available | Available |
*** Update Below*** In the course description, it states that capstone projects will be evaluated by the faculty and feedback will be provided within 1-4 months of submission. I submitted my completed work in the middle of November 2016 and have yet to receive any feedback (posting on May 23 2017). Based on the forums, my fellow classmates also have not received feedback. I have contacted Coursera via chat and provided the information for them to evaluate; unfortunately it appears they have little control over the faculty's adherence to the promises made in the course description. I also reached out to one of the professors via that individual's posted email address with the school. It has been a few weeks now and I have not received a reply from the professor either. The promise of having my work evaluated by real university faculty was a major factor in my decision to take this course over other online options. As an alumnus of U of M, I am very disappointed by the lack of follow up to a product on which they have put our Block M.
***Update as of 5/30/2017. I did end up hearing back on the delay. It appears that there was significantly more demand than the faculty had anticipated. They are in the process of working through all of the submissions.
I really enjoyed taking this course. Especially the interviews with business leaders were helpful for me because it showed me how strategies and practices were applied in the business world.
Nice Course, A lot of learning and challenges!
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AA
I have really enjoy this spealizaton. There has been rewarding journey in equipping my self with the tremendous knowledge from great coaches such as Dr.Scott DeRue and Dr.Maxim Sytch